Is Palawan Really the Best Island in the Philippines?

Palawan
Palawan: A paradise of pristine beaches, lush lagoons, and endless adventure.|©iStock/Sasithorn Phuapankasemsuk

My relationship with the island of Palawan did not start off well—it was not love at first sight.

Before we arrived, we researched where on the island we should go. The major areas of El Nido and Puerto Princesa were the obvious choices and had the most flights from Manila. Reviews suggested that “El Nido is too touristy,” but of course, everyone has their own definition of that. Meanwhile, “Puerto Princesa was a lively town,” and since the flights there were much cheaper, that is where we went for two weeks.

Too long.

But before we get to that, where exactly is Palawan, and why is it mostly unknown?

Where is Palawan?

Though it does not have the most islands in the world, the Philippines is no slouch, with 7,641 total pieces of isolated land, of which 2,000 are occupied. The island's history goes back almost a million years when forms of primates occupied the islands. As long as 30,000 years ago, more human-like occupants arrived from Asia. The lands were formed by volcanoes, and today, only 18 of the 32 are considered active. As recently as 2020, the mountain Taal erupted, killing four. Among all those islands, Palawan is a favorite for residents as well as tourists.

More recent history was heavily influenced by Spain, as the islands were under Spanish rule from 1521 until 1898. They gained independence and became a territory of the US, which lasted until 1946, when they became completely free. The Spanish influence is still evident, as the island is predominantly Catholic. Even though it is an Asian country, it is unique.

In a nation of islands, it’s hard to rate which is number one or the best, but Palawan has been called “the closest place to heaven on Earth” by many travel experts.

Accessibility and Comparison

The good news is that Palawan is just 350 miles from the capital city of Manila and reachable in about an hour’s flight. Many compare Palawan to another popular destination, Boracay, which is also excellent but more crowded and touristy. Overall, Palawan gets the upper hand, and with some strategic and timely planning, you can see most of what is worth seeing in a short time.

Puerto Princesa

Puerto Princesa: Palawan’s gateway to budget flights and island adventures.
Puerto Princesa: Palawan’s gateway to budget flights and island adventures.|©iStock/Alexpunker

With an overall island population of about 930,000, Puerto Princesa has the lion’s share, with almost one-third of them. Though there are four airports you can fly into, the only ones that really make sense are the ones at Puerto Princesa—the cheapest to fly to—and El Nido to the north. The island is long and skinny, bearing southwest to northeast, with Puerto Princesa almost dead center. For those who want to rough it in more primitive areas, you can travel to the far south city of Balabac, which is about 250 km away and involves 4.5 hours of very rough roads. The town is driven mostly by pineapples and some diving tourism and is known for its great caves and waterfalls.

The majority of island visitors do one of two things: fly into Puerto Princesa and take a four-hour shuttle north to El Nido, or fly directly into El Nido. Puerto Princesa has the price advantage, but in hindsight, I wish we had flown directly and skipped Puerto Princesa. A recent price comparison between the two destinations gave Puerto Princesa the edge of $22 vs. $118, primarily because El Nido has no major carrier traffic.

Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park

The best agenda is to fly into Puerto Princesa, stay for a day or so, and visit the number one attraction in the area: the easy-to-remember Puerto-Princesa Subterranean (Underground) River National Park. It is a UNESCO Heritage site and covers a biodiverse area from the mountains to the sea. A dozen years ago, it was added to the New 7 Wonders of Nature list.

It’s a 90-minute drive north of Puerto Princesa and requires a permit in advance, either with a tour company (pricier, about $45) or by going to a local office and registering. You can navigate about five km inside the cave, which can be as wide as 120 meters and as high as 60. You must be part of a tour boat to go inside. That time inside requires about three hours, but the outside portion of the park is also worth exploring, as well as the nearby city of Sebang.

Transportation Options

In the city, you probably don’t need a rental car since three-wheeled tuk-tuks are abundant, and they will continuously ask if you need a ride. They are also quite interesting to photograph since the owners pride themselves on unique engineering and design! If you are biker-friendly, scooters are cheap, about $5 per day, and the drivers here are quite easy to ride with—unlike some Balinese cities.

El Nido

El Nido
©iStock/Simon Dannhauer

After your time in Puerto Princesa, book a tour bus for about $7.00 and head to El Nido. There will be a stop along the way during your four-hour journey, but the roads overall are pretty decent, and since these drivers know them well, they avoid the potholes.

I have heard many (older) people ask if they should go to El Nido since they hear what a party town it can be. We found little of that—unless you look for it. We saw travelers of all ages, and street merchants were polite, not in your face. The main street is quite lively and not very long. You can truly explore most of the downtown area in a few hours yet spend days going back and looking more closely.

Island Hopping in El Nido

The magnet to El Nido is the nearby island tours. Island hopping is finely tuned, offering tours A-D with pictures and prices so you know exactly what you’ll get. Prices are set, but you must pay a permit fee, which may or may not be included in the price. Our Tour A was about $17 per person, including lunch. We left at 09:40 and returned around 4:30 after visiting five or six spots. Occupancy can range from about a dozen people per boat to twenty or so on the larger ones. You can also opt for a private tour if you want more flexibility. On our tour, the waters were moderate, and the day was sunny, but bear in mind that storms and clouds can impact your enjoyment. Our boat had a crew of five, and even though only one spoke broken English, communication was fine.

El Nido has been burdened by growth over the past decade, taxing its infrastructure. One thing we were specifically cautioned about was not to drink any tap water. Most restaurants either used bottled water or had their own systems. They are painfully aware of the littering and waste problem, and the island hoppers encourage guests not to bring plastic bottles but instead use refillable containers.

Key Attractions

Our tour took us to one of the most visually stunning places I’ve seen: Secret Beach. You enter through a man-sized hole in the rocks, spend 10 minutes inside, and then get escorted back out since this is the stop for all the tour boats and people are waiting. Even so, the inside is like being enveloped within a volcanic chamber with high walls surrounding you as you wade in the clear water.

Big Lagoon is another famous spot where you paddle a kayak from the boat back through a canyon with pristine waters along with several hundred other paddlers. On our first effort to get there in the late morning, we could not due to excessive traffic, so we added it to the end of our tour, which meant higher winds and higher waves.

As with many tourist spots, they can be overly crowded, which made me rethink a more pricey private tour so you can leave early—before the crowds. My suggestion: either take or find six people to share a private boat and split the costs. Another suggestion/caveat is about the process of getting into these boats, which is quite an adventure.

The water level in El Nido harbor fluctuates wildly, so when you depart in the morning, you must hike out quite some distance to get to your ride. You carry your bag very high or on your head and hand it to the crew. For short people or anyone with walking issues, take note. At the end of the day, the water level is much more manageable but can still be rough, exiting the boat to get back to the sand.

Our tour ended at 7 Commando Beach, which is the last stop for many boats, but it was easier to navigate. The rock structures of the beach, which is literally around the corner from the main town of El Nido, are truly impressive. Huge rock faces with trees and foliage growing out of them in every direction are pretty magical.

Exploring El Nido on Land

As much as El Nido is about the tours, you can find a lot of pleasure without leaving the land since there are very nice beaches within short bike rides. Yes, rent a scooter here, even though there are tuk-tuks. Traffic is quite manageable, as are most of the roads.

Two of the closest beaches, about ten minutes south, are Las Cabanas and Marimegmeg, which you access through a small, recently built shopping complex called Vanilla Beach. But the beach that we loved so much that we went twice in two days was Nacpan Beach, about 30 minutes north of town. The main roads getting to it are beautiful, well-paved, with light traffic, but the last mile or so involves rutted, rocky roads—ultimately worth every bump!

Nacpan, to me, fits the image of a near-perfect beach. Wide open, but looking straight at half a dozen islands before you. Pristine sand, no rocks, just the right wave set (at that time), plus shade and food vendors if you want to take a break or grab a beer. At four km in length, you can enjoy a lot of surf in a short amount of time.

Port Barton

Port Barton
©iStock/Wirestock

We finally had to leave El Nido, but it left its mark. The people were friendly and truly welcomed us, reminiscent of Bali. We did not feel that same love in Puerto Princesa. Even though the prices were marginally higher in El Nido, the weather felt better—less humid and always breezy. Our room in a good location, almost across from the beach, was about $25 and a steal at that. We extended our stay two extra days and took it away from our final stop: Port Barton.

The road south to Port Barton was also an adventure, though a bit shorter. We did a lot of research and had to determine if it was worth the effort since this place is tiny, just a few streets, and does take an effort to reach.

We are glad we did.

We stayed in one of our more rustic rooms—a bungalow on stilts with no AC (but screened!)—run by the loveliest people. We rented one of their scooters for about $7 per day and explored some of the more difficult-to-get-to beaches, loving Coconut Beach the most. It did take an effort—about 10 minutes of rutted road—but this was like a public-private beach since it was on private property. Gorgeous clean sand, shade, and with islands in the distance and trees wrapped around the bay, it was worth the $3 parking fee!

I also did another island tour here, since this is also one of their claims to fame. We hooked up with Joey’s Tours, and he did a masterful job showing us around the area. Starfish Island was our first stop, followed by Turtle Reserve, though neither lived up to their names. The other stops were at more private islands, and since the crowds were nothing like El Nido, Port Barton tours are great for those who want to lay out and explore new areas.

Even though the town was small, it had a very lively beach scene, and we enjoyed several, along with the more affordable street food options, which were not touristy at all but helped us feel like locals.

Conclusion: Is Palawan the Best Island?

Over six months, we visited many islands, and even though we love Bali and did not see all the Philippines has to offer, I give a strong thumbs up to Palawan, especially for divers and water lovers. We did not get to Coron Island, about a four-hour ferry ride north from El Nido, but friends who are divers say this place was one of their favorites anywhere in the world. They are renowned for wreck dives since the island had a fleet of ships go down in WWII, and now they are havens for fish. So maybe Coron and Palawan could be havens for you.

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